Local candidates seeking seats in four legislative districts

Thursday

Nov 1, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Ellen W. ToddSanford News Writer

SANFORD — Local voters will have a couple of new representatives in the Maine House in 2013 — no matter who wins the Nov. 6 election — as the candidates running for both districts 143 and 144 are making their first bid for statewide office.

In District 143, businessman Adam J. Courtney, a Republican, will vie with Town Councilor Anne Marie Mastraccio, a Democrat, for the seat currently held by John L. Tuttle, Jr.

Adam Courtney grew up in Sanford and graduated from Sanford High School in 2005. While studying for an associate degree at Southern Maine Community College, Courtney started an interior/exterior painting company, a business he continues to own and operate. Courtney also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at the University of Southern Maine. Courtney said that although he has never held public office, he has always taken an interest in politics.

Anne Marie Mastraccio was elected to the Sanford School Committee in 1992 and served 12 years as a member. In 2004, she was elected to the Sanford Town Council. She is currently finishing up her third elected term (nine years) on the council. Mastraccio is also vice chair of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council and co-chair of the Sanford School Construction Core Building Committee. Mastraccio has an Associate degree in science and in dental hygiene. She and her husband, optometrist Albert Mastraccio, moved to Maine in 1980 and to Sanford in 1982. She worked in her husband’s optometric practice in Sanford for more than 20 years. She believes the knowledge and experience she has acquired in the last 21 years give her an understanding of the workings of municipal government and of school systems — an understanding she believes can benefit Sanford.

At an Oct. 15 candidates forum sponsored by the Sanford-Springvale Chamber of Commerce, each candidate responded to questions on the environment, energy, health care and education.

Moderator Rick Stanley asked both Courtney and Mastraccio if they support reducing Maine’s

current setback requirement for “vernal pools” — seasonal wetland depressions that generally dry up or disappear in summer — from 150 feet to 75 feet. The setback requirement has hindered development in Maine in recent years, Stanley said.

Mastraccio said she supported reducing the setback as well as other hurdles to development in the state, but also emphasized the importance of protecting the environment.

“I think we need to find the balance between the two ...,” she said. “We need to keep Maine Maine.”

Courtney said he also supports reducing the setback “in order to keep Maine competitive with other states.” Courtney added that he does not think the government “should tell you how to protect the environment.”

Both candidates said they favor the expansion of access to natural gas into rural areas of Maine as an inducement to businesses looking to relocate.

On the question of health care under the Affordable Care Act, the candidates were asked what type of health care exchange they would like to see in Maine, a free-market system or a state-controlled system like what Massachusetts has established.

Mastraccio said she favored a state-controlled model. Courtney said he favors some aspects of the Massachusetts model, but added, “People should not be mandated to have insurance.”

District 144

Maine House District 144 — which includes the town of Acton and parts of Sanford and Lebanon — is currently represented by Acton Republican Joan Nass. Nass is finishing her fourth term and is prevented by term limits from serving a fifth term. Vying to succeed Nass are Republican Daniel Archambault, who lives in Acton, and Democrat William F. Noon, who lives in Springvale.

Archambault, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, had served as the executive officer at Station South Portland until his retirement in 2006. He was born in Minnesota, grew up in Louisville, Ky., and is a graduate of the Maritime Federal Law Enforcement School and the National Search and Rescue School. He is a member of the Presidential Security Detachment at Walkers Point in Kennebunkport.

Archambault owns a home improvement company and is a member of Acton’s board of assessment, board of appeals and the Mary Grant Nature Preserve.

At the Oct. 15 candidates forum in Sanford, Archambault said he felt the biggest issue facing Maine is jobs.

“Maine needs to improve its regulatory process,” Archambault said. “We need to streamline the process for businesses that want to start up in Maine.”

Noon has lived for 40 years in Springvale, where he and his wife, Jean, run the Noon Family Sheep Farm, a certified organic sheep farm. He is an active member of both the York County Farmer’s Network and the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA). He also owns a construction business, Noon Construction — Home and Barn Renovations.

Noon was a member of the Sanford-Springvale Planning Board for 20 years and served as chairman for 10 years. He and Jean were founding members of the Three Rivers Land Trust.

At the Oct. 15 forum, Noon said that going door-to-door to talk to people in District 144, he heard their concerns about jobs and health care, and that he feels health care is the biggest issue facing Maine today.

“Retirees and the elderly are very concerned about health care,” he said.

Stanley asked Archambault and Noon the same questions on the environment, energy, health care and education that he asked Courtney and Mastraccio.

On whether or not he would support reducing Maine’s setback for vernal pools from 150 feet to 75 feet, Noon replied that he would not support a reduction. As the largest state in New England, Maine’s protection of its environment is important, he said. Archambault said he would be more likely to support a 100-foot setback, as set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

On the question of expanding Maine’s natural gas infrastructure to encourage businesses to relocate in Maine, Archambault said he would like to look into it, as natural gas is a good energy source, but said Maine should also look into alternative sources like solar and wind. Noon said he would favor expanding access to natural gas, as Maine needs to find ways to attract new business.

The candidates were split on the issue of how Maine’s health care exchanges should be structured. Noon said he favors the Massachusetts’ model while Archambault said he believes in a free-market system.

District 142

Rep. Andrea Boland is unopposed in her bid for a fourth term representing District 142, which encompasses part of Sanford. She is a graduate of Elmira College and has a Master’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University. She is a title examiner and a distributor of Reliv nutraceutical products.

Boland is considered a national expert on electromagnetic radiation and the health and safety hazards of cell phones, smart meters, and other wireless devices. She introduced the first legislation in the world to require warning labels on cell phones and has spoken publicly on the subject several times. In May, she participated in the international Electric Infrastructure Security Summit in London.

In Augusta, she serves as the ranking Democrat on the State and Local Government Committee and is a member of the Government Oversight Committee.

State Senate District 3

Maine’s Senate District 3 includes the towns of Alfred, Limington, Lyman, Sanford and Waterboro. Springvale resident Jonathan Courtney is currently finishing his fourth two-year term representing District 3 in the state Senate and is running against incumbent Chellie Pingree in a bid to represent Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Two Sanford-Springvale natives are vying to take Courtney’s seat in the state Senate: Republican Bradford J. Littlefield and Democrat John L. Tuttle, both of whom have been active in public service for several years.

Littlefield is a town councilor, having been appointed in March 2003 to fill a vacancy. He was elected to a three-year term the same year and was re-elected in 2007 and 2010. As a councilor, Littlefield serves on the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council subcommittee, is a member of the Sanford Charter Commission and a member of the Central York County Connections Study. He is a real estate agent and an independent field agent for insurance and financial institutions.

Tuttle is an emergency medical technician and currently represents District 143 in the Maine House of Representatives. He has been a Maine legislator, in either the state Senate or House, since 1978. He is the ranking minority (Democrat) member on the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development. Tuttle was a Sanford selectman from 1980 to 1990 and he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine in 1992.

Both Tuttle and Littlefield participated in Sanford’s candidates forum in October, responding to the same questions as candidates for Maine House districts were asked.

Both candidates said they would support a reduction in the setback requirement for vernal pools to encourage development in rural areas of Maine. Tuttle indicated the legislature would have to come up with a compromise that would aid development yet still protect the environment. Littlefield said he would also like to see a clear definition of a “vernal pool.”

Littlefield said he would support the expansion of Maine’s natural gas infrastructure to attract new business.

“I would also encourage exploration for natural gas in the Bay of Maine,” he said.

Tuttle also supports the expansion of the natural gas infrastructure, “but we also need to look at other areas of energy to broaden our base,” he said.

On the subject of health care, Littlefield said he preferred a free market model for the exchanges that would be established under the Affordable Care Act.

“I think any time the government gets its hands into something it becomes more expensive,” Littlefield said.

Tuttle said he does not favor either the free market model or a government-controlled model.

“I think we have to create a model for Maine,” he said. “I would like to work with people to develop our own [model].”

Both candidates said jobs and economic development are the biggest issues facing Maine.

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